Devil Moon by Dana Taylor Read Free Book Online Page A

matching scarf around her neck looked completely out of place on a football field, but she walked with resolve. He enjoyed the sexy hip action despite the prissy purse to her lips. She appeared a woman with a mission and no amount of mud or wind hindered her way.
    Just as she reached him, her heel tripped in a hole and he caught her by the arms as she pitched forward. "Steady, sister. Why women wear those idiotic shoes, I'll never know."
    Phil righted Maddie and she quickly regained her composure. She tugged her jacket into place. "Coach Wilcox, I came to remind you that you're a chaperone for the school dance tomorrow night. I've brought you a list of all the duties outlined for the function. Are you aware that your mailbox is full of messages?"
    Phil accepted the memo Maddie shoved in his hands, took a glance at it, crumpled the paper and stuffed it in his pocket. "Yeah, I need to check it out one of these days. So what time does the shindig start?"
    "If you'll examine the list currently compressed in your clothing, you'll see you need to be there at 6:30. It's a 50's theme dance. Dress accordingly."
    "I'll get out my James Dean costume. You can wear your Good Morning, Miss Dove getup." His glance raked over her body. "Or are you wearing it now?"
    "What?" Maddie knew she'd just been insulted. Jennifer Jones in Good Morning, Miss Dove , was a prim schoolteacher spinster.
    "Coach Wilcox, are you trying to antagonize me or does it just come naturally to you?"
    "I guess you could say it's part of my personal charm. Like being uptight and snobby is part of yours," he said with teasing eyes.
    She pushed the dark-rimmed glasses up her nose. "My first impression of you was that you were an insufferable lout and it hasn't changed one bit."
    Phil broke out with laughter. "Ah, lighten up, sweetheart. I'll be at your dance. I'll..." he pulled the paper out of his pocket and started to read from her list, "'guard against PDA, ascertain the presence of alcohol or drugs and diffuse the onset of violent confrontation.' Sounds like a blast all right. Save a dance for me." He lowered his voice. "You do dance, don't you, cupcake?"
    She hated the way he made her feel like a stodgy wallflower. "Of course I dance. I've taken ballroom, swing, polka, even cha-cha and tango lessons."
    "Great, we'll show these kids how it's done." He leaned into her conspiratorially. "Listen, I'd love to stand here all afternoon talking to you, but I've got a football team to coach. These guys already probably think you're out here hitting on me, so you'd better go now. I'll see you around." He gave her a wink, turned and sauntered back to his assistant.
    Maddie's mouth dropped open in amazement. The unmitigated gall! The colossal ego. The dumb jock, the jar headed ignoramus...She marched back and picked Reba up with a litany of insults running through her mind.
    Phil watched her figure retreating off the field. She had a wiggle to her walk that he had to admire. Yeah, he had to admit it. Nice ass.
    * * *
    Maddie insisted on driving Reba all the way home, something she'd never done before. The girl had always been happy to exit the car at the junction to the main road. But seeing her today with a load of books, Maddie made the turn up the gravel road.
    The ride extended much farther than Maddie anticipated, about two miles. It seemed longer because she had to take it slowly, avoiding potholes and washouts. The county obviously didn't consider Finn Lane worthy of any expense for maintenance. Oak trees, sumac, and poison ivy grew thickly along the sides. Maddie sensed a departure from the civilized world. When she rounded a bend and finally glimpsed the Finn residence, she knew she had reached an isolated kingdom.
    Mr. Finn and his clan had carved a ramshackle domain in the heart of the woods. The house resembled a modern-day Noah's ark. The original structure had been a long rectangular trailer home sitting on blocks to level it on the hilly terrain. From there, rooms